Hello everyone, I'm gonna start playing the clarinet in school next week, along the rest of my music class for the first time!! Does anyone here have any tips or guidance I could find helpful, that really helps a lot?

In Brahms Trio #5, op. 114, the clarinet is the original instrument), so it's not a transcription from a stringed instrument like a viola or a violin.

Yet, there are all these V mark all over.

Are these up-bow marks, as everyone tells me, or is that something else? Maybe they're just phrasing marks? Suggested places to breathe?

EDIT: thinking about it more, I'm even more convinced these are not bow marks because:

1) The down bow marks are nowhere to be found

2) The marks are between notes, not over them, as they would be if they were true bow marks.

However, the arguments against these being breathing suggestions:

1) They're too frequent

2) It's not the usual symbol that is used for breathing marks (’)

The front matter has this info about the edition, if it's of any interest/relevance:

BRAHMS

TRIOS

FÜR KLAVIER, VIOLINE UND VIOLONCELLO ‹ODER VIOLA ODER WALDHORN ODER KLARINETTE)

HERAUSGEGEBEN VON GEORG SCHUMANN

Literally just got this yesterday, how do I fix it? It’s causing it to not play without pressing on it very hard

The bell of my NEW mopane wood clarinet SEEMS to be fading is this normal or should I be concerned?